


Spirit Imagery

by Skeren



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Gen, He died as a child, Sephiroth is a Ghost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 04:57:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5730307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeren/pseuds/Skeren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sephiroth died around the time Cloud was born, and as a result, has been there Cloud's entire life. As a ghost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spirit Imagery

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this August of 2008 and can't find any indications I posted it anywhere at the time, nor, thus far, if I've continued it. All signs point to no.

Closing his eyes, he sighed, leaning against the wall of the building behind him, listening intently to make sure that they'd lost track of him. As far as he could tell, they were gone. 

That was good.

Today hadn't been one of those days where he'd found himself able to stay out in town for any long period of time. At least without getting into a fight, and his mother had been really firm that morning that they just couldn't afford for him to get into anymore fights.

Some of the out of town traders were starting to avoid her because of them. 

Now, he knew he wasn't a bad fighter, but if those people would just teach their kids to not try to pick on people smaller than them... then they likely wouldn't be in business. Someone didn't get successful getting supplies for Nibelheim by being _nice_. Still, if they wouldn't teach their kids to have manners, they could at least teach them how to fight properly.

Moving one hand to his side where it was still sore from an errant knee, he cautiously shifted so he could look around the corner, only to promptly pause and scowl a little. 

"Don't give me that look, I'm not the one that sent you running." 

The scowl went from the shirt in front of his nose to the green eyes just higher than his. "I'm _trying_ to see if they've left yet. You know it won't go well at all if they see me talking to you. It's started more than one fight."

"You mean if they see you talking to thin air again." The silver haired teen stepped to the side, clearing his line of vision, his tone amused. "They did leave already though, I knew you'd likely be inclined to grouse at me for failing to be anywhere around. Not, of course, that I could have helped."

"You could have helped. I don't care what you say, you have more to you than thin air. I _can't_ lean on thin air." Running a hand through his bangs, the blond gathered his hair back into a tail at the nape of his neck, the earlier tie having come loose when Timothy Grelling had tried for it a little while before. 

"Do I even need to point out that you've watched your mother walk through me on more than one occasion? And, even discounting the fact that I've been with you fourteen years now, I've yet to show signs that I'm even remotely one of those sorts of ghost things that can run around changing the very fabric of reality."

The sarcasm slid right off the blond, who rolled his eyes before moving to start for home. If the other teen said it was clear, then it was clear. "I have an imaginary friend who can do magic. I dunno about _you_ Sephiroth, but I'd call that different."

The older boy trailed after the blond without an issue, eyeing up his back. "Cloud, that would be because I was a living person once. Which I'm not now. Technical difficulties, I know, also, any and all magic abilities I have would be _your_ fault, not mine. After all, when have I ever managed to go off and do mischief of that sort without you?"

Blue eyes glanced back briefly to the teen, and then some of the fight drained out of the smaller of them. "Fine, you have a point."

"I know you don't like running from fights. That doesn't mean I can help you though." He shook his head, stepping through the doorway after Cloud as the boy pushed into his house. 

"Whatever." Tossing the bag of herbs he'd been out to get in the first place, Cloud looked into the other rooms in the building. "Mom, you home? I brought the herbs you wanted me to." When no answer came, the blond sighed, padding over to flop sideways on his bed. "Seph, you think if I lived somewhere else it'd be easier on mom?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not, what brings it to mind?"

"I just cause her a lot of trouble, that's all. She wouldn't have to work so hard to keep things up if I could stay out of trouble. I mean, I don't even pick the fights, but I'm pretty good at winning them. I've been thinking for a few weeks now that maybe it's time I just, y'know, leave so mom can finally get things straightened out without me messing them up."

"You're not talking about something as small as moving to the mountains around the town, are you?" 

"I've been hearing stuff in the news about the SOLDIER program. You mentioned that to me once, but didn't you say it'd failed out? There's some big Genesis guy as a general all over the posters the traders have been bringing to town this last year."

"It didn't fail so much as that I died. Personal failing, not project. I lost some time when I died, and I was small, so I can't exactly say there weren't any other projects in the working. After all, I've been with you all this time, and that doesn't leave a lot of room to roam the world for other lab children."

Cloud frowned up at the ceiling for a moment, then turned his head to look at his friend. What was with that tone? "Seph?"

The silver haired teen just shook his head, pushing away from the wall he'd been leaning on while they talked. "If you plan on leaving for a program like that, we should go soon. Otherwise, you might talk yourself out of it."

He really didn't like the way his friend was looking. He definitely hadn't thought that this topic would upset him like this. "But you won't try to talk me out of it?"

"No. That doesn't mean that your mother might not try once she finds out though." It was offhand in a way that wasn't any sort of threat of tattling, as they both knew it wasn't humanly possible for him to do. But there was still something inherently off about his tone of voice. 

Cloud was too slow when that got him moving to try to halt his friend's retreat. 

Not surprising, considering that said friend could vanish into thin air, but still, ultimately very frustrating. And also, very worrying. He needed to know why this idea bothered his friend, and if he should be worried about it too.

First though, as he couldn't talk to someone who wasn't here, he'd sort out the herbs his mother had asked for, make sure they were all in useable shape. He'd also figure out how to get his friend to talk.

Or, at the very least, stare in surprised horror. 

That would make them both feel better, and maybe then, he wouldn't be thinking so seriously about leaving home. He liked home, he loved his mom, and he didn't want to leave. But, something told him he needed to, and ultimately, that was all there was to that.

When one was the only one with a friend no one else could see, one tended to start taking their feelings more seriously.

This time was no exception.


End file.
